Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-06-09
PAGAN PAINTINGS.
How the Chinese ChIldren OF San Fr1S-
cisco Amuse Themselves.

A peep into the play corner OF .
Celestial juvenile makes plain the facs
that few play-things suffice for the
pleasures of the youth of the Flowery
Kingdom. Dolls there are, to be sure,
but the girls make very little of them,
and they are often petted and patted
by the boys There does not seem to-
be- so much of the make-believe among
tbs childish players of Chinatown as
there is among white children. Al
though a joss appeals to their imag1na-
ton, doll is only doll. This may
be accounted for by the fact that about
the time when they would naturally
begin to take most interest in wax
features and saw-dust bodies, their at
tention is called to dolls of flesh and
blood. Hardly has the female Mon
golian fairly begun TO steady herseb
insher clumsy shoes and she Is made
saddle-horse for the month-old tots
of her own or some other family.
Sometimes the motherly-loOking little
maid who bends her back to the daily
task of giving the baby an airing has
such a tired expression of countenance
that it would appear TO be only fair,
especially In view of the disproportionO
of burden to bearer, that places be
changed for time.
But, besides the hunan play-things,
there are odd puzzles to be put to-
gether or strung into certain shapes,
gorgeous glass marbles to roll about,
balls with strings attached so that they
may not get lost, and colOred blocks
with which to build wonderful houses,
bridges and towers; diminutive junks
to pull about On the floor, and small
mirrors in which to sean small yellow
features and narrow black eyes. Tho
abacus, or mechanical counter, is
placed in the hands. of the youth at -
very early age, and it is, wonderful to
Americans how quickly mathematics
are mastered in this manner by little
fellows hardly knee high
When kite-fying is to be considered,
the Chinese of any age are always
children. Old men take as keen de- {
light in sailing paper dragons'and birds
rs boys of ten. But thisdoes not detraet
from the pleasure of the boys, who
unwind the kite-stIing and watch their
cherished toy float away with an inter
est that flags not with each successive
aerial flight. More Chinese kites are
flown by American boys in San TRAN
cisco than in any other city in the
United States, but one is not often aft
forded the spectacle of "a Celestial
youth flying kite EVEN IN this cos
mopOIitan place, as they are usually
sent up from the roofs of buildings. cut
of view of the street
TOp-spinning is a faVor5f1s- amuIse-
ment, and in this the Chinese are, ex-
perts- The length of timer in which
they can keep the humming. object La
motion is quite remarkable
Chinese boys from eight 10 twelve
years of age play an odd game with
sticks Of wood about three feet long A
stick is grasped near the middle and
thrown sideways, the object being to-
cross TT upon another stick lying upon
the ground. The secret of the game
and the points to be made have newer
been mastered by the American boys
who hang about the outskirts of China
town. The small CaliforniamVotes ii r
very daEil play and can not see what
there Is in it to arouse the-enthusiasm
of the yo.uthful heather.
There is a Chinese game; however,,
that never fails to arouse. the interest
and envy of the white boys. 1t IS
played with a loaded cork bestuck with O
feathers The game is to- keep the
cork irb the air. The first player throws
up tlie. shuttlecock and befOTc.it again
reaches the earth he twistS>his foot and
gives she descending objeetia kick with
his, hssI which sends it up'into the air..
sometimes as high as twenty feet. When: G
il descends again he mics. to, keep itI
within range of his heel as>lOng ~ pos
sible;. but the play sooa, fails to be ex-
elusive; other boys standing anXiouslY
about manage to get ia Eick,at it, send
hight away from the flrsttplayer, whO'
them Joins the Outsiders in generals
scramble to gain possession. Some'
times In the heat of the plag, when that
c1sosVd Is punched together. the shuttle
cook is struck by the hand but liz
not allowable unlessitliS-in danger OF
reaching the ground before the heel
Gan strike it. Expert players keep
their. hands in theiusleew0s, hitting. the
object only with the heel, and
thus keeping it from tlse groundl for
hours at time. Great skill is naOes-
sary for this game, and where Ameri-
can boys have undertaken to play 1t
wi tn the heather they have always cuha
SORRY francisco CseoTaiOhS-